Smoking pipe

ABSTRACT

A smoking pipe including a stem having a tobacco receiving bowl at one end and a mouthpiece at the other end. A battery powered grid tobacco igniting member is mounted in the bowl, and air supplying tubular ports are provided in the side wall of the bowl and lead to the tobacco igniting member. The stem may comprise a plurality of angularly spaced, partible stem sections.

o mted States Patent 1 1 1111 3, 6

Covington May 13, 1975 [54] SMOKING PIPE 3,091,246 5/1963 Mahieux 131/195 3,402,723 9 1968 H 131 193 X 176] lnvemorl Edwin C(Wington, 3401 Roberts 3,698,400 10/1972 Tt x cker 1 31 /185 St., Saginaw, Mich. 48601 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Med: 1973 290,740 5/1928 United Kingdom 131/198 R [21] Appl. No.: 408,389

Primary E.taminerJoseph S. Reich 52 U.S. c1. 131/185; 131/186; 131/193; Darby &

131/195; 131/198 R; 131/199 [51] Int. Cl A24f 01/00; A24f 03/00 [58] Field of Search 131/185, 193, 198 R, 199, [57] APSTRACT 131/195 A smokmg pipe mcludmg a stem havmg a tobacco receiving bow] at one end and a mouthpiece at the other [56] References Cited end. A hasteryflpogerid grd tobacc? igniftgg lrnembtir 1s moun e 1n e ow an air supp ymg u u ar por s UNITED STATES PATENTS are provided in the side wall of the,bow1 and lead to sRlppel ii the tobacco igniting member. The stem may comprise purr 2,738,792 3/1956 Smith I I i 131/185 81 plurahty of angularly spaced, partlble stern sect1ons. 2,761,456 9/1956 Pirrone 131/185 X 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures k I20 -14 280 1,40 l 4 I 2e 2 3 27 PAINTED MAY 1 3 i975 l2b 40 W FIG I SMOKING PIPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a smoking pipe, and more particularly to a smoking pipe which incorporates a tobacco igniting mechanism.

Novice pipe smokers generally experience considerable difficulty in maintaining pipe tobacco alight. The lighting ritual which most novice pipe smokers go through may be irritating to the smoker as well as to most observers. When the pipe smoker is attempting to light the tobacco in a wind, the Wind tends to extinguish the flame and thus relighting becomes even more unpleasant. With conventional lighting techniques, wherein the uppermost portion of the tobacco is initially lighted, the uppermost tobacco burns and cakes over and tends to inhibit the passage of air to the underlying tobacco. The outer bowl surface of prior art smoking pipes frequently becomes so hot to the touch that it cannot be handled for long periods of time. The prior art pipes are generally provided with rounded outside bottom portions and thus when set on a table, or the like, tend onto roll on their sides. Any lighted tobacco in the pipe can easily spill onto the underlying floor or table creating a tire hazard.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipe which will enhance burning of tobacco disposed therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe which has improved draft characteristics.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an externally insulated smoking pipe which can be held in the hand while the tobacco is burning and set in an upright position without tipping on its side.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe of the type described which includes an electrically energizable tobacco igniting element disposed in the bowl and a battery disposed in the body of the stem with a portion of the stem being removable to expose the battery.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a smoking pipe of the type described including a partible stem which is internally lined with an electrically conductive metal plate used to connect a battery disposed in the body of the pipe with an electrically energizable, tobacco igniting element disposed in the bowl.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipe of the type described including a plurality of hand-graspable, heat insulating members disposed around the outside of the tobacco-receiving bowl and a plurality of air supplying tubes in the bowl leading to an electrically energizable tobacco igniting grill disposed in the bowl.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a smoking pipe including a bowl, a tobacco igniting member in the bowl, and a plurality of tubular ports in the side of the bowl leading to the igniting member, to enhance the burning of tobacco in the bowl.

The present invention may more readily be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partly sectional, side elevational view of a smoking pipe constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional side view of the smoking pipe, the portions of the tubular ports located within the bowl being rotated through substantially 45 to show how air may be admitted therethrough;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the tobacco receiving bowl taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional end view of the stem taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

A smoking pipe constructed according to the present invention includes a stem, generally designated 12, mounting a bowl, generally designated 10, at one end and a hollow mouthpiece, generally designated 15, at the other end. The stem 12 includes an upper half 12a integral with the bowl 10 and a lower, removable or partible half 12b longitudinally slidable on elongate projections or rails (FIG. 4) provided on the upper stem half 12a. The mouthpiece 15 is telescopingly received by the stem 12 and mounts a tobacco filter 15a for removing tar and other impurities in the smoke. The bowl 10 and stem 12 may suitably comprise briarwood whereas the mouthpiece 15 may conveniently comprise hard plastic material.

The hollow bowl 10 is lined with a synthetic plastic or porcelain liner 13 to keep the bowl 10 cooler than it would otherwise be. Disposed at the bottom of the bowl 10 is an electrically energizable, tobacco igniting heating grid or grill plate 16 comprising an electrical resistance wire. A plurality of angularly spaced, air supplying vent tubes 18 are provided in the side wall of the bowl l0 and terminate adjacent the grill 16 to communicate air to the bottom of the bowl and enhance burning of the tobacco T disposed in the bowl. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the tubes 18 converge downwardly toward the bottom and center of the tobacco receiving bowl 10.

The stem portions 12a and 12b cooperate to define an axial passage 17 for passing smoke from the bowl 10 to the mouthpiece 15. The lower stem half 12b is flared outwardly downwardly at the bowl end thereof and includes a fiat bottom surface 12d which can support the pipe in an upright position. The upper and lower stem halves 12a and 12b are fitted together with a snug fit, so that they cannot easily be separated when they are connected together in the positions illustrated in FIG. 2. A latch (not shown) may also be used to hold the stem sections together. The upper stem half 12a of the stem 12 includes a hollow portion 122 which receives a direct current battery 14.

A wire 19, passing through the upper stem half 12a, connects one terminal 14a of the battery 14 to one side of the tobacco igniting grid 16. The other side of the tobacco igniting grid 16 is connected to an electrically conductive, spring terminal 25 which bears against an electrically conductive plate 20 lining the inside of the lower stem half 12b. An electrical, spring switch 23 is connected to the other battery terminal 14b and is movable between a position normally removed from the conductive plate 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2, to a lowered position engaging the plate 20 to complete the circuit from the battery 14 to the tobacco igniting grid 16. The spring switch 23 is actuable by a vertically movable switch actuating member 27, which projects through the top stem half 12a. When the switch 23 is actuated to connect the battery 14 in circuit with the grid 16, current will flow through the grid 16. The wire grid 16 will generate sufficient heat to ignite the tobacco T immediately adjacent the grid.

An electrically non-conductive, elongate cylinder 40 lines the stem passage 17 and passes the smoke from the bowl to the stem 15. The cylinder 40 protects the battery 14 and the electrically conductive plate 20 from being coated with tar and the like.

Disposed at 90 intervals on the outside of the bowl 110, interjacent the ports or tubes 18, are a plurality of insulating pads 24. The pads 24 include vertical air passages 26 which insulate the outer pad portions 2812 from the inner pad portions 28a and the bowl 10.

To condition the pipe for smoking, the user fills the bowl 10 with tobacco and then depresses the igniting switch actuator 27 to connect the battery 14 in circuit with the grill 16. When current passes through the grill 16, it will generate sufficient heat that the tobacco will ignite. The burning is enhanced by passage of air through the tubes 18 to the grill 16. The burning can then progress upwardly in the bowl 10 until all of the tobacco therein is consumed. When the battery 14 is discharged, the lower stem half 12b is longitudinally slid on the upper stem half rails 120 to a removed position to expose the stem lining, smoke passing tube 40. The electrically conductive plate 20 will merely slide past the spring switch members and 23. The tube 40 is removed and a fully charged battery 14 is substituted for the discharged battery 14. The tube 40 and lower stem half 12b are then reassembled.

It is to be understood that the drawings and descriptive matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, rather than as limiting the same in any way, since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A smoking pipe comprising:

a. an upstanding tobacco receiving bowl having a tobacco receiving chamber defined by a side wall and a lower end;

b. generally horizontally extending hollow stern means which define a passage having an axis and having means communicating with said chamber, said stem means comprising first and second partible stem sections which are axially split, a first stem section being integrally formed with said bowl and a second stem section being axially slidably movable thereon between a remote position and a position in which said stem sections cooperate to define said passage;

c. electrically energizable tobacco igniting means in the lower portion of the bowl, battery means mounted in one of said stem sections and electrical conductive means lining the inside of the other stem section and connected in circuit with said battery means and said igniting means; and

d. tubular port means provided in said side wall for introducing air to tobacco received within said chamber, said port means downwardly depending from an interior surface of said side wall and leading to said lower end of said bowl adjacent to and above said energizable igniting means.

2. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 1 including insulating pad means on the outside of said bowl inter- 20 jacent said port means.

3. A smoking pipe comprising: a tobacco receiving bowl having a side wall; a hollow stem connected to said bowl; electrically energizable tobacco igniting means positioned in the lower end portion of said bowl; and

tubular port means provided in said sidewall and leading to said igniter means for communicating oxygen thereto to enhance burning of any tobacco in and above said bowl adjacent said igniting means.

4. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 3 wherein said hollow stern includes an axial passage communicating with the inside of said bowl, said hollow stern including axially split, partible stem sections angularly spaced about said passage.

5. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 4 wherein a battery means is mounted in the body of one of said stern sections, electrically conductive means is mounted in the body of said one stem section and is connected to said battery means and said igniting means, electrically conductive liner means lines the inside of the other of said partible and is connected to said igniting means; and switch means is provided on one of said sections for connecting said liner means to said battery means to selectively energize said igniting means.

6. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 5 including insulating pad means mounted on the outside of said bowl between said port means, said pad means including vertical passages therethrough for insulating the outside portion thereof from the inside portion thereof. =l l 

1. A smoking pipe comprising: a. an upstanding tobacco receiving bowl having a tobacco receiving chamber defined by a side wall and a lower end; b. generally horizontally extending hollow stem means which define a passage having an axis and having means communicating with said chamber, said stem means comprising first and second partible stem sections which are axially split, a first stem section being integrally formed with said bowl and a second stem section being axially slidably movable thereon between a remote position and a position in which said stem sections cooperate to define said passage; c. electrically energizable tobacco igniting means in the lower portion of the bowl, battery means mounted in one of said stem sections and electrical conductive means lining the inside of the other stem section and connected in circuit with said battery means and said igniting means; and d. tubular port means provided in said side wall for introducing air to tobacco received within said chamber, said port means downwardly depending from an interior surface of said side wall and leading to said lower end of said bowl adjacent to and above said energizable igniting means.
 2. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 1 including insulating pad means on the outside of said bowl interjacent said port means.
 3. A smoking pipe comprising: a tobacco receiving bowl having a side wall; a hollow stem connected to said bowl; electrically energizable tobacco igniting means positioned in the lower end portion of said bowl; and tubular port means provided in said sidewall and leading to said igniter means for communicating oxygen thereto to enhance burning of any tobacco in and above said bowl adjacent said igniting means.
 4. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 3 wherein said hollow stem includes an axial passage communicating with the inside of said bowl, said hollow stem including axially split, partible stem sections angularly spaced about said passage.
 5. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 4 wherein a battery means is mounted in the body of one of said stem sections, electrically condUctive means is mounted in the body of said one stem section and is connected to said battery means and said igniting means, electrically conductive liner means lines the inside of the other of said partible and is connected to said igniting means; and switch means is provided on one of said sections for connecting said liner means to said battery means to selectively energize said igniting means.
 6. The smoking pipe as set forth in claim 5 including insulating pad means mounted on the outside of said bowl between said port means, said pad means including vertical passages therethrough for insulating the outside portion thereof from the inside portion thereof. 